One noon in September 1946, investigator Wu Zhuxing was unfortunately surrounded by the enemy while performing his mission, and two of his companions were killed. He hid alone in the river and was lucky to escape. But just as he was about to evacuate, he was searched by another group of enemies. In a desperate situation, an old village woman came to the rescue, wittily disguised him as the "little three" in the family, and lowered her head to sharpen the sickle. Although the enemy entered the hospital to search, they were blinded by this drama and finally let them go. After Wu Zhuxing was rescued, he returned safely to the base area under the cover of night. This unknown old village woman used her wisdom and courage to protect a revolutionary soldier and add strength to the day of victory. Although her story is little known, it is a microcosm of the countless grassroots heroes of that era. What happened back then? How did the old village woman save people with wit? Let's find out.
The scouts were surrounded by the enemy, and their comrades were killed
At noon on September 27, 1946, near Shuanglou Village, Hai'an County, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, a fierce gunfight was being staged. Three underground Communist workers, Wu Zhuxing, Zhang Fugui and Chen Genfa, were ordered to go to Xie He Township to reconnoiter the deployment of Kuomintang troops. Unexpectedly, when they passed by the East River of the Patriarch Temple in Shuanglou Village, they were suddenly besieged by a group of local self-defense forces.
The enemy is outnumbered, and the situation is critical. The three of them fought and retreated, and soon Zhang Fugui and Chen Genfa were shot and killed one after another, leaving only Wu Zhuxing alone. Seeing that the enemy was approaching step by step, Wu Zhuxing was not afraid of danger, jumped into the river and hid in a reed bush by the river. He covered his head with waterweeds and curled up motionless, holding his breath for fear of revealing his whereabouts.
At this moment, a rush of footsteps came from far and near, and Wu Zhuxing's heart was pounding. He peeked out through the cracks in the reeds and saw a dozen or so self-defense personnel in blue cloth uniforms searching the river in groups of three or five, armed with spears. One of them shouted, "Look for it! That kid must be nearby!"
Wu Zhuxing trembled all over, and cold sweat flowed. He knew that once he was discovered, it would be his life. At this critical juncture, he was overjoyed by an unexpected discovery - it turned out that the group of self-defense forces did not see clearly how many people had fled, and they only found the bodies of Zhang Fugui and Chen Genfa. After a cursory search, the SDF members quickly evacuated the scene.
The scouts escaped by hiding in the river, and as they prepared to evacuate, they encountered the enemy again
When they met on a narrow road and encountered an ambush, their companions were killed, and Wu Zhuxing fled into the river alone and escaped a catastrophe. But the crisis is far from over. Hiding in the reeds, he held his breath and heard the footsteps of the Self-Defense Forces searching the riverbank. After the group evacuated, Wu Zhuxing finally breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to evacuate by night.
He cautiously emerged from the reeds and walked in the direction of the village to the north. It was getting late, and the village was quiet, and no one was in sight. Wu Zhuxing quickened his pace, hoping to leave this place of right and wrong as soon as possible.
However, just as he walked to the gate of the courtyard of the villager Ji Li's house, a gunshot suddenly rang out from the north, and Wu Zhuxing was startled. He followed the prestige, only to see a group of self-defense soldiers in blue cloth uniforms not far away, more numerous than the previous group.
Wu Zhuxing's heart sank, his current situation was too dangerous. He was in the middle of the village, surrounded by fields on the left and right, and there was nowhere to hide except for the gate of the Ji Li family. And the group of self-defense forces had already spotted him and were approaching this way.
Wu Zhuxing subconsciously put on the handle of the gun on his waist, ready to fight with them to break the net. But then he realized that the gun was soaked in the river water before, and he didn't know if it could still be used. At this critical juncture, the courtyard door of Ji Li's family was suddenly pushed open from the inside.
An old woman with gray hair poked her head out, saw Wu Zhuxing's situation, and dragged him into the courtyard without saying a word. This is Ji Li, an ordinary rural woman, but she has stepped forward in this time of crisis, showing extraordinary courage and wisdom.
The old village woman came to the rescue, wittily disguised the investigator to sharpen the sickle for the "little three".
Ji Li dragged Wu Zhuxing into the courtyard, and his movements were smooth, as if he had been prepared. She quickly removed an old cloak from the wall and put it on Wu Zhuxing's head to cover his face. Then he took down an old rusty sickle from the wall, stuffed it into Wu Zhuxing's hand, and motioned for him to bow his head and start sharpening the knife.
"Put on this outfit quickly, and when someone asks, I'll take care of it." Ji Li handed a set of old men's clothes to Wu Zhuxing and whispered.
Wu Zhuxing understood, hurriedly took off the clothes on his body, and replaced them with the one given by Ji Li. At this moment, heavy footsteps were heard outside the courtyard gate, mixed with the sound of swords colliding with each other. Ji Li's expression was as usual, and he made a ball of the clothes that Wu Zhuxing had taken off, stuffed them into a pig food bucket, and covered them with a layer of pig food to cover the traces of the clothes.
"Old lady, is there a stranger in your house?" a rough voice sounded outside the door. Ji Li walked to the door, opened the door a crack, and saw a group of self-defense soldiers in blue cloth uniforms standing outside the door, with guns pointed directly at her.
"Boss, you always speak slowly. Ji Li pretended to be calm and his tone was respectful.
"Let me ask you, is there a stranger in your house?" the man at the head asked again, his tone very impatient.
"No... No, boss. Ji Li shook his head repeatedly.
"Then who is he?" the man asked, pointing to Wu Zhuxing, who was sharpening his knife, his eyes like a wolf.
"Boss, this is my junior son. Ji Li explained calmly, "I asked him to sharpen the sickle, and tomorrow he will go to Shanghai with others to eat." ＂
The enemy entered the hospital to search, was deceived by the old village woman's play, and let him go
Although the leader of the Self-Defense Forces was skeptical of Ji Li's explanation, it was understandable to see Wu Zhuxing bowing his head and sharpening his knife. He looked around the courtyard, and found no trace of any other suspicious person except Wu Zhuxing.
"Go in and search!" the leader commanded his men. Several members of the Self-Defense Forces in blue cloth uniforms entered in response to the call, and under the guidance of the Ji Li clan, they began to rummage through the houses and courtyards.
Ji Li was in control, leading them to inspect the storeroom, pigsty, and stable, and everywhere looked like the owner's house. The SDF members searched one by one, but found no suspicious clues other than a few bundles of wheat stalks stacked in the corners of the wall and some farm tools.
At that moment, a member of the Self-Defense Forces walked up to the pig bucket and pulled it into the bucket with the butt of his gun. Seeing this, Ji Li hurriedly stepped forward to explain: "Boss, that's the pig food I just prepared, don't mess with it." ＂
The man was skeptical, but when he saw that there was only some pig scrap in the bucket, he gave up. They continued to search the premises, but found nothing. Eventually, the leader of the Self-Defense Forces waved his hand impatiently and signaled to evacuate.
"Let's go, it looks like we're in the wrong place. He said to his subordinates. Then, the group of self-defense troops rushed out and quickly disappeared into the night at the entrance of the village.
After the sound of their footsteps was completely gone, Ji Li took a breath, patted the dust on his body, turned to Wu Zhuxing and said, "You rest here for a while, and when the night is deeper, I will let someone lead you out of here." ＂
Wu Zhuxing nodded again and again, and was extremely grateful to this witty and brave old village woman. It was her resourcefulness that allowed her to escape. He secretly vowed that on the day of the victory of the revolution, he would repay this benefactor well.
Ending: The scout returns safely after being rescued, and the story of the old village woman becomes the epitome of grassroots heroes
The night was getting thicker and thicker, and the small lights in the courtyard of the Ji Li family had been lit. Wu Zhuxing sat on a low stool, sipping hot tea made by Ji Li's own hands, and wrapped in Ji Li's son's old cotton jacket.
"You rest here for a while, and when the night gets darker, I'll have someone lead you out of here." Ji Li instructed. Wu Zhuxing nodded again and again, and was extremely grateful to this brave and witty old village woman.
After a while, a young man quietly entered the courtyard, and Ji Li led him to Wu Zhuxing and whispered a few words. Then, the man nodded and motioned for Wu Zhuxing to follow.
The two of them skirted the entrance of the village and walked along the path in the night. Along the way, Wu Zhuxing was always vigilant, for fear of being attacked again. Fortunately, with good luck, they left Shuanglou Village unhindered all the way and soon left Shuanglou Village.
When the sky was slightly white, the two finally arrived at a hidden crop field. An underground party member was already waiting there, relieved to see that Wu Zhuxing was safe and sound. The three of them rested for a moment, then continued on their way, and soon returned to the base area.
Recalling that thrilling scene, Wu Zhuxing sincerely thanked Ji Li for his bravery and selflessness. It was her wit and decisiveness that allowed her to be rescued in a desperate situation. And what Ji Li did also reflected the selfless support of those ordinary people for the revolutionary cause in those years.
In that turbulent era, grassroots heroes like Ji Li were all over the country. They were unknown, but they used their courage and wisdom to escort the victory of the revolution and became an indispensable stroke in the magnificent picture of the people's war. Although the story of Ji Li is simple and simple, it is a microcosm of countless grassroots heroic deeds, which deserve to be remembered forever by the world.